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i86hotdogs
Member
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2024
- Messages
- 11
- Age
- 32
- City
- Cleveland
- Vehicle Year
- 1994
- Engine
- 2.3 (4 Cylinder)
- Transmission
- Manual
Hey gang. I've been on this forum for almost a year now. Went idle for a bit when the Ranger wasn't running or being worked on. But we're back baby!!
1994 XL RWD 5-speed 2.3L Better known as Grimace
Quick recap of how I got here:
-bought non-running off FBM; claims it "only" needs a battery and timing belt.
-replaced timing belt
-replaced a bunch of other parts that were probably fine, but old and cheap to replace (evap, serpentine, water pump, PCV, crank sensor, etc)
-new headlight/tailight assemblies
-hurst short throw shifter
-instrument cluster swap from a 93 explorer; I now have a tach!
-new wheels/tires
After buttoning everything up, truck still didn't run. No power anywhere. Considered diving in to the electrical woes myself, but decided it was out of my scope. I posted about it last summer and decided to take it in for service.
Brought it to a shop back in August. Made an agreement they'll work on it after hours and nix the labor charge.
Fast forward to March. Here's what they found:
-almost all wiring was bad one way or another. Could spend time trying to find every flaw, or replace the entire harness. Replaced harness and fusebox.
-pinched wire going to the crank sensor (oopsies)
-two rusted out brake lines going to the rear; repaired
-wheel cylinders stuck in open position; replaced
Got the truck back baby!! Took it for a small errand run to shake it out.
Thing runs like a dream. Little engine just never quits. Have to remind myself to keep revs high to make it happy. Hurst shifter is so satisfying. Few observations for more improvements to the truck this summer:
-sunroof leaks a small bit
-left shift stop need adjusting; tough to find 1&2
-voltage and engine temp gages don't work; monitored coolant temp on the drive with a temp gun; could be from the cluster swap, but I might throw some aftermarket gages in the truck to compensate
-turn signals do not blink; this one might be from the LED bulbs I installed. I'll switch these to old school Thomas Edison style bulbs
-When maneuvering in a tight space (parallel parking, etc) the truck will sometimes stall when the wheel is cranked fully to the left or right. Might be another sensor based of little research i've done. Not a deal breaker, but something to look in to later
-put the grille back on
-the airbox system needs to be redesigned or something; the air hose from the inlet to the airbox has sheared off, so there's no connection to the front inlet off the radiator. Just hangs down there in the bay
-my giant fat ass barely fits in the truck; bench seat could be moved backwards and possible downwards; also will replace the steering wheel with an aftermarket smaller diameter one for more room
-theres an aftermarket head unit "installed" in the truck. By that, I mean it's wired and hooked up to the speakers (works shockingly but not well; better speakers in the horizon), but not mounted in the dash
-no horn, time for an airhorn!!
I'll post more photos as time carries on. Looking forward to getting involved in this scene and talking shop with you all.
If anyone has any good tips on where to start with some of these side projects, I'm all ears!
1994 XL RWD 5-speed 2.3L Better known as Grimace
Quick recap of how I got here:
-bought non-running off FBM; claims it "only" needs a battery and timing belt.
-replaced timing belt
-replaced a bunch of other parts that were probably fine, but old and cheap to replace (evap, serpentine, water pump, PCV, crank sensor, etc)
-new headlight/tailight assemblies
-hurst short throw shifter
-instrument cluster swap from a 93 explorer; I now have a tach!
-new wheels/tires
After buttoning everything up, truck still didn't run. No power anywhere. Considered diving in to the electrical woes myself, but decided it was out of my scope. I posted about it last summer and decided to take it in for service.
Brought it to a shop back in August. Made an agreement they'll work on it after hours and nix the labor charge.
Fast forward to March. Here's what they found:
-almost all wiring was bad one way or another. Could spend time trying to find every flaw, or replace the entire harness. Replaced harness and fusebox.
-pinched wire going to the crank sensor (oopsies)
-two rusted out brake lines going to the rear; repaired
-wheel cylinders stuck in open position; replaced
Got the truck back baby!! Took it for a small errand run to shake it out.
Thing runs like a dream. Little engine just never quits. Have to remind myself to keep revs high to make it happy. Hurst shifter is so satisfying. Few observations for more improvements to the truck this summer:
-sunroof leaks a small bit
-left shift stop need adjusting; tough to find 1&2
-voltage and engine temp gages don't work; monitored coolant temp on the drive with a temp gun; could be from the cluster swap, but I might throw some aftermarket gages in the truck to compensate
-turn signals do not blink; this one might be from the LED bulbs I installed. I'll switch these to old school Thomas Edison style bulbs
-When maneuvering in a tight space (parallel parking, etc) the truck will sometimes stall when the wheel is cranked fully to the left or right. Might be another sensor based of little research i've done. Not a deal breaker, but something to look in to later
-put the grille back on
-the airbox system needs to be redesigned or something; the air hose from the inlet to the airbox has sheared off, so there's no connection to the front inlet off the radiator. Just hangs down there in the bay
-my giant fat ass barely fits in the truck; bench seat could be moved backwards and possible downwards; also will replace the steering wheel with an aftermarket smaller diameter one for more room
-theres an aftermarket head unit "installed" in the truck. By that, I mean it's wired and hooked up to the speakers (works shockingly but not well; better speakers in the horizon), but not mounted in the dash
-no horn, time for an airhorn!!
I'll post more photos as time carries on. Looking forward to getting involved in this scene and talking shop with you all.
If anyone has any good tips on where to start with some of these side projects, I'm all ears!
